ARTS

Page 9

Friday, July 25, 1986

The Michigan Daily

Graceful Arch
displays talents

By Nolan Feintuch

Malaysian Dancers were not able to
make their performance, but besides
that everything is great."

T HE ANN ARBOR Arts Fair got
off with a soaring start this Wed- The highlighted acts of the festival
nesday. Anything from politics, to the are Gemini (a folk duo), the Lunar
arts, to dance was the name of the Glee Club, and Ann Arbor's favorite
game for thousands of people; but master of the harmonica, Peter
when one walks down East Univer- "Madcat" Ruth. Ruth is set to per-
sity, one can't avoid encountering a form on Friday at 8:00 p.m. Also
festive aura around a blue geometic featured is an act that tends to be the
tent designed by a handful of ar- biggest crowd-pleaser, the bellydan-
chitecture students. Inside this tent is cing performances.
a stage, on which, for the rest of the
fair an array of events are
scheduled. This stage, dubbed The Speaking on the performances in
Graceful Arch, serves as the general, as he and many people were
trademark of the Annual Ann Arbor lounging in the shade listening to
Juried Art Fair on East University classic Grateful Dead songs sung by
and South University Avenues. Mustards Retreat, fair goer Tom
Events at the Arch are diverse, Hempden said, "These performances
including music, theatre, and dance. bring an ambience of relaxation to the
The performers are mostly Michigan fair goers.
natives and provide a splendid oppor-
tunity for those unfamiliar with The performances at the Graceful
Michigan's artistic talent to ex- Arch are usually as scheduled, although
perience it offhand. The daily events occasionally the jazz performances
offer a chance for music lovers to run overtime because of the high
hear their favorite local bands jam energy they draw from the crowd. But
for free. They also give dance and whatever form of the arts you prefer,
theatre lovers a chance to soak up there is no excuse to pass up any of
some performing arts under the sun, the shows on this unique stage.
or just weary fairgoers a chance to
rest their feet, relax, and enjoy a bit
of culture before moving on to take in
more art and battle the crowds and Schedule of Events
torrid heat. a
Dave Germano, assistant director Friday
of the Washtenaw County of Perfor-
mance Arts says, "We want to make 11:00 a.m. University Mime Troupe
the Graceful Arch a family at- 12:00 noon Gemini, children's con-
mosphere with performances that cert.
families can enjoy at all age levels." 1:00 p.m. Song Sisters.
He continued, "So far, wejiave run in- *2:00 p.m. Goodtime Players,
to only one problem, that is, the theatre ensemble.

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Doily Photo by CHRIS TWIGG
The Eastern Michigan University Master Mimes performed on the Graceful Arch stage yesterday morning.
3:00 p.m. Common Ground Theatre 7:00 p.m. Gemini, Folk duo 11:30 a.m. Classical Dances of In-
Ensemble, Barrier Free Theatre. 8:00 p.m. Peter "Madcat" Ruth, dia.
4:00 p.m. Carl Alexius Trio, jazz. Harmonica. 12:00 noon Jesse Richards, Folk
5:00 p.m. Lunar Glee Club, Neo singer. r
Eclectic Music. Saturday 1:00 p.m. A2 Quartet, Jazz
6:00 p.m. Troupe Ta Amulat, Dan- 3:00 p.m. Stark Raving Revue,
ce. 11:00 a.m. Ozer-Moore-Herrold. Band jamboree.

Beckett's 'Happy Days' in Suspension

and space, where she exists half a day's work out of being happy
By Elizabeth Block buried in the same mound. Through through ridiculous chatter. Her
her, Beckett expresses his angst over garrulity makes up for the
- human existence. He supplies no an- nothingness of the world outside of
T<HE SUSPENSION Theatre rounds swers, declaring, "If I knew I would Winnie, thus giving order to Beckett's
up its final Ann Arbor production have said so in the play." Yet, he does world. Winnie says, "There is so little
with Happy Days, by Samuel Beckett. bombard the audience with questions. one can bring up, one brings up all one
Director Andy Mennick and his crew Beckett's often incomplete stories can." She poetically rambles on about
of fellow Grinell College graduates nevertheless provide order through her past and the objects in her nearby
take their final bows this weekend, words, pauses, and stage directions. bag. Although she speaks of the most
leaving the Ann Arbor community with a This is precisely what justifies trivial things, she never shuts up. She
skilled contribution to the Beckett Beckett's lack of conclusion in Happy lives for this legacy of language and
vision: existentialist awareness of Days, which reads like an extended the legacy of the possessions in her
self. Beckett illustrates this toxic poem. bag. This is precisely what gives
proposition with a study of the Winnie meaning.
characters Winnie (Deborah Allen)
and Willie (Jeff Dorchen). To obtain order, the actors need
Willie, almost entirely taciturn, rigid control. Players Deborah Allen Willie's vitality blossoms out of
lives in a hole of an earth mound. His and Jeff Dorchen skillfully tackle the sudden movement at the end of the
wife Winnie is trapped within time challenge. Allen, for example, makes drama. He climbs the mound, to

communicate with his wife. Whether tive and powerful production
he kills her with a nearby gun or at- showcases a celebration of human
tempts a reconciliation, however, perseverance. Allen and Dorchen
remains to be seen. Through the portray the trauma of post-womb
movement, Beckett finds an alter- existence beautifully, but they also
native order to life, perhaps more leave the audience with another
urgent than that of Winnie's chit-chat. potent idea; they imply that although
It is the culmination of the there is little to enjoy, it's better to do
playwright's own desperation. In the something rather than rot, the way
final moment of Happy Days, Allen Winnie and Willie surely do.
and Dorchen bond so intensely with
each other that the audience grows
painfully aware of their clashingAde
isolation. A defense
against cancer can be
Beckett thus proves that although cooked up in your kitchen.
there is little to enjoy in life, enduran- Call us.
ce abounds. AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY
Director Andy Mennick's percep-